Saturday, August 16, 2014

I took this image in April 2011, but it took until tonight for me to figure out how it was supposed to be interpreted. Here it is: another in the Spirit Tree Series. I suppose that I should give it a number, but I do not feel like researching it now. Remember: my new blog site is: www.thomasbethune.com

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Both of these images were taken from the exact same position
on my tripod just a minute apart. It is not my intention to claim to be a lens
reviewer, but I am posting them in case anyone that reads this blog has an
interest it either of these lenses.

On my outing Sunday morning, I primarily shot with the new
16-35, and throughly enjoyed myself. What I did discover (not surprisingly), is
that the 16-35 does not replace the 17 when it comes to architectural
photography. The 16-35 will work in almost any situation where I can keep the
lens/camera level. The top photograph from my post of yesterday was taken with
the 16-35, the lens/camera was level, and the results were very satisfactory.
There were situations during that shoot where to properly portray a taller
building, that the 17 was the only logical choice.

I prefer to not use perspective adjustments in post
production to straighten out converging lines, but in a pinch it could be done
since the quality of the photographs from the 16-35 are so high. However, I
always prefer to start with the highest quality imagery that I can, so using
the right lens for the task is my rule. I just know that there will be times
when I am walking around and photographing where time and convenience will
dictate that I use the lens that is attached to the camera. Therefore, as a do
anything lens, the 16-35 will serve very well with its image stabilization for
these shaky hands.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Light Pollution from the "Greater" LA Basin Invades the Night Sky at Joshua Tree National Park

I admit to going over the top with the saturation of this image, but what the heck - I like it. I am so grateful that I live far away from this type of pollution. It is sort of beautiful in a weird way.

Monday, June 9, 2014

I think this little blog has just about run its course. Very few people find it, and I only get numbers greater then ten hit if I promote it on Face Book. I started a replacement blog and I am satisfied with how things are going there. You may find it at: http://thomasbethune.wordpress.com/

Saturday, June 7, 2014

HOLDING OFF THE ELEMENTS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, A STRUCTURE IN THE GHOST TOWN OF BODIE STILL SURVIVES THE ELEMENTS

I am still working on the photographs from my recent trip to the east-side of the Sierra Nevada. In the not-to-distant past, I would have already printed many of these images. I am holding off on printing until I work each candidate on several different occasions. I make copies of each variation and review up to three or four iterations of each composition. I then review each in the print module of Light Room, and rate accordingly (I start out with one star for the initial pick, and I eventually will give the preferred images a second star and so on until I select the best variant of that image and give it a higher rating yet).

I reworked this image this morning, lightening up the dark wood on the
end of this building. Yesterday, I worked the sky, and the day prior, I
did a small amount of cropping. It is now up to a four star rating.

Friday, May 30, 2014

There is something very special about standing in a remote and unfamiliar environment during the dark hours. It is especially so to do so without the intrusion of artificially created light pollution. I think that I speak for many of us when I declare that we all need to expose ourselves to the elements of the night. I think it is important to do so without being "connected" via modern technology, IE cell phones and other distractions, that may take one's awareness elsewhere during the experience. Of course one may argue that my having the camera, and my busyness with photographing brings that element of modernity into the mix. I assert that instead of a distraction, the camera allows me to focus my attention to the aesthetic possibilities, and that it promotes my awareness.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

I suppose that I may sound trite by adding some form of written meaning to some of my recent images, but I cannot help myself. I am not a student of modern fantasy, but I did grow up hearing and reading mother goose and other "children's" tales. I listened to recordings of talking trains, and of pumpkins that turned into coaches, so it is no wonder that I can perceive an essence of the unseen in so-called inanimate objects.

I just returned from a photography outing to Mono County on the east
side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. My pal Marc Chaton accompanied
me on the trek. Saturday evening we went to the shore of Mono Lake to
work on sunset photos and perhaps to do some light painting of some tufa
towers. I did a considerable amount of light painting of some sand tufa
while Marc prepared some burritos for us in my trusty Roadtrek camper
van. After supper Marc wanted to experiment with taking photos of the
abundant stars overhead. We discussed some of the technical challenges
of doing so.
I realized that my knowledge of observational astronomy was very
rusty. I suggested that the Milky Way was perhaps overhead in the still
brightening night sky, but I could not even be sure of the location of
the summer triangle to confirm my guess. We agreed that we need some
direction and help with stellar location. Shortly thereafter, we noticed
the approaching beam of a LED head lamp. That person went to the only
other car in the area for awhile. Meanwhile Marc kept on experimenting
with exposures of the stars. after a while, the person from the other
vehicle came over and started talking about astro-photography. It turned
out that this person was an expert on the subject. Brad Goldpaint http://goldpaintphotography.com/
then shared some of his considerable knowledge about locating nebula,
stars, and constellations. He also shared technical know-how about
exposure and lens selection.
Here is one example of some Milky Way imagery that I took on the next night.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

In the nineteen-eighties, I started a series of photographs of various structures in the rice growing region of California's Sacramento. Awhile back I posted some of the early work that I did with my old Rollicord film camera. This image is one I took in March, and it is in the early stages of what I expect to do with the "colorization".

I took this image from my campsite at Belle Campground in Joshua Tree National Park. I think I took this sometime after midnight. The moon was about three-quarters full, and provided the terrestrial lighting. The clouds are illuminated by the far distant megalopolis of L.A. Despite the moonshine, and city light, the stars were clear and vibrant (note the Pleiades). By-the-way, I am using ISO 1600 with impunity, and loving it.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Light From the Bay Area Affecting the Night Sky at Pinnacles National Park, 2014

It is sort of beautiful is its own sick way, but I do pine for a night sky that excludes the intrusion by others into my view-shed. The sky at Joshua Tree National Park was somewhat better, but I think that was so because there is less moisture in the air there. The last time I really experienced a "natural" night sky was when I was in a remote corner of the Himalaya at the village of Karzok.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

I am always amazed whenever I come across some of these nearly forgotten images. This photograph was unimpressive at first glance, but once I started processing in Light Room I soon found its potential. The image on this blog is only a representation of what the actual print will look like.

Friday, January 31, 2014

I realized earlier this week that a small gallery at the RAA
was not being utilized by anyone. I thought it that was a shame to have an empty room in an otherwise
full gallery, so I secured the space. I hung a show today in gallery number two.

There are three primary themes within the room. One
of them is about the interplay of the ocean and sand. These images represent an
ongoing theme for me. I consider what I see in this
give-and-take of two of our primary elements - earth and water whenever I photograph at the beach.

The second theme is more on the essence of what I
sense from some of the trees of our coastal and redwood forests. It
is common to salute and honor the giant trees in our area, and I do almost
daily, but there are other elements of the forest that I feel that are unique
unto themselves. Perhaps I can succeed in sharing some of that with these
images.

I represent the third theme with one image. It
stands alone because it represents our prairies and the vastness of our sky.
Here on the north coast, we are not always surrounded with the forest, and there
are places where one does not hear the sounds of the ocean.

Manifestation at Low Tide

There are other aspects to this marvelous area that
many of us call home, and I realize that it will take more than my lifetime to
explore all of it.

I am hanging a last minute exhibition today at the RAA Gallery in Eureka. I printed this photograph yesterday as I wanted to include something new and related to the other images. I am taking down the marsh exhibit today, and using some of those in the new show. I think this show will have a water theme.